The Urban Primary Health Care Project was initiated with the purpose of improving the health of the urban poor by improving access and changing the way in which health services are provided in urban areas. The Project is funded by the Government of Bangladesh, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) and Nordic Development Fund and is executed by Local Government Division (LGD) of MOLGRD&C. Urban Primary health Care Project is under process since 30th March 1998 in the four city corporations Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna. The primary objective of this project is to reduce preventable mortality & morbidity, among women and children by strengthening the Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) infrastructure and ensuring that the poor receive good quality preventive, promotive and curative services. The other objectives is to sustain the improvements in Primary Health Care Center by improving the capacity of the local government and changing the role of government in provision of health care services. UPHCP is strengthening the PHC infrastructure in City Corporations by establishing 142 PHC centers in the four cities under the project. The numbers of health facilities in DCC are 60. However, of these 43 are in rented houses. Dhaka City Corporation has signed the contract with competitive selected NGOs for the delivery of a package of essential services and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (EOC) in 10 defined partnership areas, linking contract payments to health improvement of the population of the project area.

Project consists of the following parts

• Provision of PHC through partnership agreements
  
• Strengthening the Urban PHC infrastructure.
  
• Building the capacity of the City Corporations and their partners.
  
• Support for project Implementation and Operationally Relevant Research.

Impact of the Project

• More than 22 lakhs patients served in the last 3 years, most of them poor, specially women and children.
  
• Health awareness has been improved among the city dwellers.
  
• The mid-term Household survey 2003 Mitra & Associates in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, USA, shows positive changes in all indicators than the Base line Household survey done by the same firm in 1999.